2.a.2. Overall Objective The Proteomics Core aims to provide MRDDRC investigators with access to state of the art technologies in mass spectrometry and microscale capillary high performance liquid chromatography (proteomics) required for advanced studies in the cell and molecular biology of neurological developmental disabilities. Dr Greenberg (the Director of this MRDDRC) will be the Director of the Core. Dr. Jebanathirajah, a new Assistant Professor in the Neurobiology Program at Children's Hospital, and an expert in the field of mass spectrometry, will be the Manager responsible for supervising all Core activities. Major goals of the Core will be to use the techniques of mass spectrometry to assist MRDDRC investigators in the characterization of protein complexes that are relevant to neuronal function, to characterize changes in protein composition that occur in the nervous system during development and under conditions that lead to developmental disabilities, and to identify and characterize the function of post-translational modification of neuronal proteins. The Proteomics Core is actively involved in research in the area of mass spectrometry and any newly developed tools and methods will be made available to the MRDDRC investigators. The Core will also provide and develop proteomics related statistical and data handling tools.